Cheese of the Week No. 11

I have to write this one down before I forget it. It was maybe the best cheese I've ever had.

Grayson (Meadowcreek Dairy): USA (Virginia), raw cow's milk, washed rind

Missy Kinz described the smell of French munster as "unforgivable." Well, Grayson gives off a funk that is equally unpardonable. Being a washed rind cheese, it has a briny, crunchy, funky-bacteria-loving rind that helps to ripen the cheese from the outside in. The paste near the rind was just becoming gooey, at its absolute peak of creaminess. It was described on the tag as similar to taleggio, but it's better than any taleggio we get here in the States. I find it more similar the Chimay Grand Cru, but better still. Chimay a la Biere is funkier, but not as delicious.

The taste is supremely earthy, nutty, fruity, grassy and rich. They must have some happy cows down there at Meadowcreek. It's not for the faint of heart (or nose), but if you like the funk, dig this cheese.